Assisted Dying Bill: MPs overwhelmingly reject plans to legalise procedure for people with terminal illnesses

Doctors who help terminally ill patients end their own life will continue to face prosecution in Britain for years to come after MPs resoundingly rejected a landmark Bill that would have given people the ‘right to die’.

By a margin of three to one, the House of Commons threw out legislation to allow adults with less than six months to live the right to ask for medical help to end their own life.The scale of the Bill’s defeat, on a free vote, means the issue is unlikely to come before Parliament again for at least another decade.

Anti-euthanasia campaigners said the result was an unequivocal rejection of a “dangerous” piece of legislation but supporters of reform said it showed that MPs were “ridiculously out of touch” with the public.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-overwhelmingly-reject-plans-to-legalise-assisted-dying-for-people-with-terminal-illnesses-10496918.html

I think a lot of people are suffering now because of the technology that has allowed people to be brought back from the brink of death such as stroke and heart attack, before all the life saving technology people would have died , but now they are brought back kept on life support when they are unable to have much of a life , it can't be said for those suffering terminal illness but it can for those i mentioned , so by being kept alive they are just existing without quality of life .

As for the doctors being prosecuted well they do take a vow to save lives and not end them .

I think this is about personal choice, I want to be in control of my own life if I become terminally ill or in a position where I feel that my life is intolerable.  

What each individual person is prepared to put up with just to stay alive will differ.  For me it is about quality of life.

I have a greater fear of living than dying and I would like to have that choice without having to travel abroad and potentially involving my family in what is still deemed to be a crime.

I think that MP's are out of touch with public opinion on this matter

I've added a poll - be interested to hear how others view this.

feelthelove wrote:I think this is about personal choice, I want to be in control of my own life if I become terminally ill or in a position where I feel that my life is intolerable.  

What each individual person is prepared to put up with just to stay alive will differ.  For me it is about quality of life.

I have a greater fear of living than dying and I would like to have that choice without having to travel abroad and potentially involving my family in what is still deemed to be a crime.

I think that MP's are out of touch with public opinion on this matter

Hi FTL
Completely agree.
It should be a human right for people to decide if terminally ill how they meet their end. 
They should allow people to die with some dignity when terminally ill.

Cuchulain wrote:

feelthelove wrote:I think this is about personal choice, I want to be in control of my own life if I become terminally ill or in a position where I feel that my life is intolerable.  

What each individual person is prepared to put up with just to stay alive will differ.  For me it is about quality of life.

I have a greater fear of living than dying and I would like to have that choice without having to travel abroad and potentially involving my family in what is still deemed to be a crime.

I think that MP's are out of touch with public opinion on this matter

Hi FTL
Completely agree.
It should be a human right for people to decide if terminally ill how they meet their end. 
They should allow people to die with some dignity when terminally ill.

Thanks Didge, exactly, dignity in death as in life. I don't think that's too much to ask x

If people want to take their own lives then there are numerous ways they can do this already...


I am against any sort of legislation that facilitates this.


Ending ones life is not a thing that anyone should want to do er feel that they should do either.

Those who voted no, have never been in unbearable pain with no relief in sight.

It should absolutely be your right to end your own life -- otherwise it's not really your life. The tricky part comes when you factor in family, inheritances and state of mind, but I think that's a solvable problem.

Tommy Monk wrote:If people want to take their own lives then there are numerous ways they can do this already...


I am against any sort of legislation that facilitates this.


Ending ones life is not a thing that anyone should want to do er feel that they should do either.

There are numerous ways Tommy if you are capable.  In my opinion the lack of choice means that I would have to make a decision to end my life before I was ready because I would have to do it while I was able to travel or end my own life.

It would potentially deprive me of months or even years of life out of fear of living in pain or being incapable of taking care of myself and making my own decisions.  What if the medics got it wrong and I could have lived for years not months?

I don't think I'm alone in wanting a choice  

Once you start legislating to allow this type of thing then you have to start defining framework and criteria etc... then what situations and conditions allowable etc...

Then all this could be easily abused and changed to being enforceable for certain situations and conditions.


Then even further down the line we could have the argument put that everyone can only have a set maximum time of life because of 'rising populations' or because it is suddenly seen as not fair that some people get to live fit and happy lives in older age while others die younger or suffer unfit/ill lives in older age etc, or that it becomes too costly to allow someone to get pensions for more than certain time, os some such shit... and Then everyone at a set age must be put down!?



Call me cynical... but we have all seen how goal posts start moving with mission creep after the start of things for what are seemingly good intentions at first.


Plus it is always better to be alive than not, even if in pain... while alive you are still in a position to do some good and are there for family etc.


As well as the fact that a new treatment may be just round the corner that might be a cure or something that will substantially improve your life, or a new type of pain relief etc.

"It's better to be alive even in great pain" Tommy, you have never been in great pain then?

You do not have to go to any of the lengths claimed by Tommy as this already works in practice in other nations. The fact is people should have such a choice and denying them this choice is ensuring their last months will be intolerable. People should have a right when terminally ill to end their life at their choosing. Not one that will see them suffer in many cases from terminal conditions.
How could these be abuse?
If doctors classify an illness as terminal, that is the requirement here to then allow people to chose what day to end their life.
Mistakes could happen, which is possible with a misdiagnoses, but very unlikely.

People arguing against are just prolonging their suffering. That is unethical on every level.

that's odd i posted this over a day ago not a single post..lol

heavenlyfatheryetagain wrote:that's odd i posted this over a day ago not a single post..lol

I know i noticed that was going to ask to merge the two threads , this one is special though has a poll

nicko wrote:"It's    better to be alive even in great pain"   Tommy, you have never been in great pain then?

I have been in great pain before nicko... although not from any diagnosed life threatening/terminal illness...


I am not trying to play top trumps of pain levels here...



Just saying that I don't agree with the imposition of any legislation where anyone is given the right and/or responsibility to kill anyone else, just because someone thinks they want to die.



I have also touched on the wider implications being opened up by such a move...




And if you read the whole of what i said in context, it makes much more reasonable argument and sense...



"...it is always better to be alive than not, even if in pain... while alive you are still in a position to do some good and are there for family etc.

As well as the fact that a new treatment may be just round the corner that might be a cure or something that will substantially improve your life, or a new type of pain relief etc..."




What if you went to the Dr tomorrow and they said they were going to give you a prescription for a totally new type of pain killer and it worked so well you were up and about like nothing was wrong?

What if they also told you that they had a new treatment coming out next week that could sort you out for another few years?

If you would end your own life if capable, but due to whatever debilitating conditions you cannot, thrn it should absolutely be legal to get assistance in doing so.

Eilzel wrote:If you would end your own life if capable, but due to whatever debilitating conditions you cannot, thrn it should absolutely be legal to get assistance in doing so.

Hit maate
In regards to the above point Eilzel
.
I agree in regards to those terminally ill or where too unbearable for someone after an incident. Where there life is reliant on the total care of other people in order to survive and function due to severe paralysis..  

I do not agree with your statement where it applies to those suicidal based on depression etc,. Those who are suicidal, in this insatnce where we can at least hope to save them from an unnecessary death. Should be given all the support they need. So to me what you stated has to have limitations.

Eilzel wrote:If you would end your own life if capable, but due to whatever debilitating conditions you cannot, thrn it should absolutely be legal to get assistance in doing so.

Why?

If it is wrong for anyone to commit suicide... they why is It more ok for someone unable to do it themselves to be able to do it?

Then when this is bringing another person into the equation, you are legislating that it is ok for someone to kill another person...

Then you open up the can of worms I described earlier where criteria and reasons move around like goal posts on wheels...


Having already given permission for The act of killing another person but then only having the reasons why being changed and legislated for... effectively giving power over death of everyone to govt to decide how, when, why etc...



Fuck that!!!

Didge, I'm obviously talking about those with terminal or unbearable conditions. Someone with depression does not need help taking their own life, they are capable of that themselves, they need help to stop them.

Eilzel wrote:Didge, I'm obviously talking about those with terminal or unbearable conditions. Someone with depression does not need help taking their own life, they are capable of that themselves, they need help to stop them.

No worries and thanks Eilzel, sorry had to ask as was not clear to me.

No problem

feelthelove wrote:I've added a poll - be interested to hear how others view this.

Hey FTL

As a religious person im totally against it. But then again God forbid i havent been in that position to feel how bad it can really be.

The problem i have with this being legalised is the way the family/ loved ones can manipulate for inherintence etc.

I think a lot of aids victims will vote for and terminal cancer patients if they have a chance to give a personal vote not on here on this poll

Vicar Of Dibley wrote:I think a lot of aids victims will vote for and terminal cancer patients if they have a chance to give a personal vote not on here on this poll

Sorry am struggling to understand what you are saying, can you clarify please?

Cuchulain wrote:

Vicar Of Dibley wrote:I think a lot of aids victims will vote for and terminal cancer patients if they have a chance to give a personal vote not on here on this poll

Sorry am struggling to understand what you are saying, can you clarify please?

NO

It was a bit comfusing Dibs tbh.

Eilzel wrote:It was a bit comfusing Dibs tbh.

Indeed, I was not being rude but very confused over what was being said

I did rather rush the post and was busy with my Grandson turning up, what I meant to say ,I'm sure the people with advanced diseases or sicknesses with little hope of cure or quality of life would vote for the voluntary euthanasia.

Of course they would, for understandable reasons. If I was in such a case I would absolutely want the right to assistance in dying if that was my choice. I don't feel it is my or anyone elses right to stop someone with a terminal disease from ending their suffering at their own call.

I think for a lot of people there is always 'hope' so arranging your death is so final lol , but i do understand reasons for assisted dying .